Slow-acting circuit controller



J y 1929. F. w. HADERMAN 2 5 v SLOW ACTING CIRCUIT CONTROLLER FiledSept. 12, 192'? rq z q ea INVENTOR.

v a ATTORNEYS.

- I Z Haoerman;

Patented July 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES FRANK W. HADERMAN, 01 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SLOW-ACTING- CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

Application filed September 12, 1927. Serial No. 219,143.

My invention relates to and has for a purpose the provision of a circuitcontroller by which an electrical circuit can be opened or closed aftera predetermined time interval following a manual operation of thecontroller, so that in the use of the controller in a lighting circuit,for example, the controller can be manually operated to open thecircuit,

but the actual disruption will be delayed a sufficient time to enablethe operator to move to a remote point before the lamps of the circuitare eXtin uished.

I will escribe only one form of slow acting circuit controller embodyingmy invention and will then point out the novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view showing in side elevation one form of circuitcontroller embodying my invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged vertical sectional views showing differentpositions occupied by the mechanism of the controller and Fig. 4: is afragmentary detail sectlonal I view of a regulating valve embodied inthe controller.

Referring specifically to the drawing in which similar referencecharacters designate similar parts in each of the several views, myinvention in its present embodiment comprises a box B of rectangularform which is adapted to be supported in a wall and is provided with avertical partition 10 to divide the box into a pair of compartments 11and 12, within the former of which is a snap switch S of conventionalform.

' The switch comprises a movable contact arm 13 pivoted on a stud 14mounted in a bracket 15 secured to and insulated from the rear wall 16of the box, and a stationary contact 17 adapted to be engaged ordisengaged by the contact arm, and secured to and insu-- lated from aside wall 18 of the box. Conductors 19 extend from the contact arm andstationa contact and constitute a art of an electrical circuit (notshown to e controlled by the switch. The switc is adapted to be actuatedto suddenly open or close the circuit in response to movement ofa memberM in the form of an arm secured in the compartment 11 to a shaft 20journaled in the side walls of the box. Secured to the stud 14 and shaft20 are a pair of relatively short arms 21 and 22 having their free endsreduced and receivin the ends of a coiled expansible spring 23, w ich isplaced under tension during movement of the member M from one to theother of the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which tension is suddenlyreleased when the member M passes dead center so as to suddenly rock thecontact arm 13 from one to the other of its positions shown in Figs. 2and 3 and thus suddenly open or close the circuit as is conventional.

The member M projects through a slot 24 5 in the partition 10 into thecompartment 12 for operative connection to a device D by means of whichmovementof the member to actuate the switch is controlled. In thepresent instance the device D is in the form of a dash pot comprising acylinder 25 having its upper end open and secured to the top wall 26 ofthe box B so as to rigidly support the cylinder in a vertical positionwithin the compartment 12. The lower end of the cylinder is closed andprovided with an opemng through which the stem 27 of a piston 28reciprocable in the cylinder, extends, the stem being formed in twosections 29 and 30 having their confronting ends bifurcated andoverlapping so as to interfit within each other. The sections arepivotally connected to each other and to the member M by means of a pin31 extending through registering openings in the bifurcated ends of thesections and through a slot 32 formed in the member M as clearly shownin Figs. 2 and 3, sothat the member will be directly moved in responseto movement of the piston. The'closed end of the cylinder 25 is providedwith an internally threaded tubular extension 33 into which is threadeda yalve in the form of a screw 34, for controlling a bleed port 35formed in the extension so that the port opening can be varied at willto control the rate of influx and efilux of air to and from the cylinderbelow the piston.

A manually operable operating member 0 in the form'of a bifurcated leveris pivot- 10o 5 port 35 by the ally mounted on the box B at 36 formovement from one to the other of the extreme positions shown, in Figs.1 and 3, and is provided with a slot 37 through which the section 30projects, while a coiled expansible spring 38 surrounds the stem section30 and bears at its lower end against a transverse pin 39 fixed to thesection, and at its upper end against a washer 40 which is adapted to beengaged by the underside of the operating member.

A latching member L in the form of an arm is pivoted at 41 on a bracket42 secured to the partition 10, and is normally urged by a spring 43 toa latching position in which the latching lip 44 of the arm is adaptedto engage the operating member 0 and latch the latter in the positionshown in Fig. 2. An arcuate cam surface 45 is formed on the latchingmember L and is adapted to be engaged by a pin 46 secured to the memberM, when the latter occupies the position shown in Fig. 3, so as to movethe latching member to a non-latching position with respect to theoperating member and thus release the latter for manual movement to itsother extreme position. 1

-The operation of the circuit controller is.

as follows:

Assuming that the operating member 0 I piston 28 will be disposed in theupper end of its cylinder 25.

When it is desired to open the switch, the operator grasps the handle 47formed on the forward end of the operating member 0 and which projectsthrough a slot 48 formed in a cover plate 49 for the front of thecompartment 12, and moves the operating member to the position shown inFig. 2 which constitutes its switch opening position. During thismovement of the operating member it'compresses the spring 88 and is thenlatched by the latchingmember M against upward movement to its switchopening position under the expanding action of the spring 38. As theoperating member is thus held against movement, the expanding action ofthe spring 38 is exerted downwardly against the stem 27 to urge thepiston 28 downwardly in its cylinder 25. However, as the rate ofmovement of the piston is controlled by the rapidit with which the airin the cylinder below t e piston is forced through the bl'eed awn, thegim'ovemem of T the latter will be retarded-f'so th ii i 613 time willelapse following the operation bf the operating member 0 beforethemember M will have been -'rocke'd to the -position shown in atatp'entheswiteh sfi The' rate of movement of the piston under the expandinaction of the spring 38 can be regulated by the valve 34 so that thetime interval can be varied at will.

During movement of the member M to the position shown in Fig. 3, andafter the switch S has been snapped to open position, the pin 46 engagesthe cam surface 45 of the latching member L so as to move the latter anddisengage its latching lip 44 from the operating member, thus releasingthe latter so as to permit it to be moved to its switch closing positionat will. During movement of the member O to its switch closing positionit engages the projection 50 formed on the section 30 at its upper end,and thus directly actuates the stem 27 to move the switch to closedposition and restore the piston to the position shown in Fig. 2;

It will be clear that although the retarding action of the dash pot hasbeen described as controlling the opening of the switch, it could asreadily delay the closing of the switch by simply changing the positionof the stationary contact 17 sothat it will be engaged by the movablecontact arm 13 when occupying the position shown in Fig. 2.

It will be manifest that my invention is capable of many uses such asfor instancedelaying the extinguishing of a lamp in the cellar of abuilding to allow one sufficient time to ascend a stairway to the floorabove while the cellar is still illuminated, or allowing one to retireto bed before a lamp illuminating the bedroom is extinguished.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of slow actingcircuit controller embodying my invention, it is to be understood thatvarious changes and modifications may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention and the spirit, and scope of theappended claims.

I claim: i

1. A circuit controller comprising a switch including a stationarycontact and a contact arm movable to engage or disengage the stationarycontact to accordingly close or open the switch, a member operativelyconnected to the contact arm and mounted for movement from one positiontoanother to accordingly cause the contact arm to move into or out ofengagement with the stationary contact, an operating member for theswitch mounted for movement from one position to another, and meansoperable in response to movement of the operating member to oneposition, to move the first member to one of its positions after apredetermined time interval has elapsed followir'fg' movement of theoperating member, whe ebya be 'e'fleeted, 'd'las meanscom nisin a dashpoteincludin a cyl nd r'hav'ing a fluid-con i'ston thereinoperativelyassoc'iated is member for actuating the' liatsociated withthe piston and operating memdel ayed:aetuati noflhe switch-will and yieldable means "operativel ii; as

ber in a manner to be placed under tension tions so as to urge thepiston to move in its ,cylinder against the retarding action set up inthe cylinder, means for latching the opcrating member in its lastmentioned position against tension of said yielding means,

and means operable in response to the movement of said first member toits last mentioned position to actuate the latching means and releasethe operating member.

2. A circuit controller comprising a switch including a stationarycontact and a contact arm movable to engage or disengage the stationarycontact to accordingly close or open the switch, a member operativelyconnected to the contact arm and mounted for movement from one positionto another to according- 'ly cause the contact arm to move into or outof engagement with the stationary contact, an operating member 'for theswitch mounted for movement from one position to another, and meansoperable in response to movement of the operating member to oneposition, to move the first member to one of its positions after apredetermined time interval has elapsed following movement of theoperating member, whereby a delayed actuation of the switch will beefi'ected, said last means comprising a dash pot including a cylinderhaving a fluid controlled piston therein operatively associated with thefirst member for actuating the latter and yieldable means-operativelyassociated with the piston and operating member in amanner to be placedunder tension by the latter when moved to one of its positions so as tourge the piston to move in its cylinder against the retarding action setup in the cylinder, means for latching the operating member in its lastmentioned position against tension of said yielding means, and meansoperable in response to the movement of said first member to its lastmentioned position to actuate the latching means and release theoperating member, said latching means comprising a pivoted arm normallyurged to a latching position with respect to the operating member andhaving a cam surface, and said last means comprising a pin on said firstmentioned member adapted to engage said cam surface.

3. A circuit controller comprising a switch, a pivoted arm operativelyconnected to the switch and movable from one extreme position to anotherto accordingly open or close the switch, a pivoted operating lever forthe switch manually movable from one extreme position to another, a dashpot comprising a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder having a stemextending through said lever means for retarding movement of the pistonin the cylinder in one direction, a pin and slot connection between saidarm and stem, an expansible spring surrounding and operativelyassociated with said stem and engaged by said lever so as to becompressed by the latter when moved to said one of its extremepositions, whereby said spring will act against said stem to urge thepiston to move in its cylinder against the action of said retardingmeans to thereby slowly move said arm from one to the other of itspositions and actuate the switch, a pivoted latching arm normally urgedto a latching position for latching engagement with said lever when thelatter occupies said one of its positions so as to releasably secure thelover a ainst movement under the urging tendency 0 said spring, saidlatching arm having a camsurface, and a pin on said first arm adapted toengage said cam surface during'movement of the first arm, and to therebymove the latching arm out of engagement with said lever so as to renderthe latter free for manual movement to its other extreme position, saidstem having a projection thereon adapted to be engaged by said leverduring its movement towards its other extreme position to therebyrestore the piston and switch to their original positions.

4. A circuit controller comprising a switch, a member operativelyconnected to the switch and mounted for movement from one position toanother to accordingly close or open the switch, an operating member forthe switch mounted for movement from one position to another, meansoperable in response to move ment ofthe operating member to oneposition, to move the first member to one of its positions after apredeterminedinterval of time has elapsed following movement of theoperating member comprising a dash pot operatively associated with thefirst member and yieldable means operatively associated with the dashpot and o crating member in a manner to be placed un er tension by thelatter when moved to one of its positions to render the dash potoperative to delay movement of the first member to one of its posi- 11osponse to movement of the operating member to one position, to move thefirst member to one of its positions after a' predetermined timeinterval has elapsed following movement of the operating member, wherebya delayed actuation of the switch will be eflected, said last meanscomprisin a dash pot including a cylinder having a uid controlled pistontherein operatively associated with the first I member for actuating thelatter and yieldable means 'operatively associated with the piston andoperating member in a, manner to be placed under tension by the latterwhen moved to one of its positions so as to urge the piston to move inits cylinder against the retarding action set up in the cylinder, meansfor latching the operating member in its last mentioned position againsttension of said yieldin means, and means operable in 10 response to t emovement of said first memher to its last mentioned position to actuatethe latching means and release the operating member.

FRANK W. HADERMAN.

